Maecellus h



M. H. MERRILL.

(No Model.)

0 CAR COUPLING.

Patented Dec. 18, 1883.

INVENTOR ATTORNEYS wmmssns: I 46% W %J7Mc/V l N. PETERS.Phohlithognplwr. Walhington. no

Nl'rnl) STATES PATENT @FFICE.

' MAROELLUS H. MERRILL, OF NEW LEBANON CENTRE, NEW YORK.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 290,452, dated December18, 1883.

' Application filed May 23,1883. (No model.)

T0 on whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, MAROELLUS H. MER- RILL, of New Lebanon Centre, inthe county of Columbia and State of New York, have invented a new andImproved Oar-Coupling, of which the following is a full, clear, and emact description.

The object of my invention is to provide an improved car-coupling ofsimple and substantial construction, and one which will coupleself-actingly on contact of approaching cars, and adapted also forcoupling onto the ordinary link-and-pin draw-head, and to be operatedwithout danger to the train-men.

The invention consists in a draw-head fitted to slide on the draw-bar,and connected to the latter by a stout pin, working in a slot of thedraw-bar, the sliding spring pressed draw-' head having a stoutcoupling-hook pivoted on one side, and a heavy pin at the other side tobe engaged by the coupling-hook of the opposite draw-head. The draw-barhas pivoted to it a trip-lever, which may be set to engage a shoulder atthe heel of the coupling-hook, and to be tripped therefrom by thecontact of approaching draw-heads when the cars come together, whichforces the trip-lever from the couplinghook shoulder by a pin or stud onthe sliding draw-head, thus releasing the hook to fall or be drawn downby its actuatingspring into engagement with the side pin of the oppositedraw-head, as will be hereinafter fully described and claimed.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part ofthis specification, in which similar letters of reference indicatecorresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of opposite couplings, with one partly insection, and showing both coupling-hooks held raised by theirtriplevers. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the improve ment, the oppositedraw-heads being coupled; and Fig. 3 is an under side view of one of thecouplings, with the hook engaged by the triplever.

On the draw-bar a, arranged for connection to the car-body in anyapproved way, and preferably formed with the reduced forward end, I),forming shoulders a, I fit the sliding draw-head 0, which has sideplates or checkpieces, 0, reaching back and lapping the side faces ofthe bar a, the draw-head 0 being recessed at c to fit and slide upon thereduced end 12 of bar a, the parts I) 0 being held to each other by astout pin, d, which may move in a slot, 6, of the bar a when thedraw-head b is forced backward against the tension of any suitablespring, f, placed preferably between parts a b in the recess 0 of thedraw-head. At one side of the sliding draw-head I pivot strongly, at g,the coupling-hook h, made preferably of cast or untempered steel, andwith a heavy or weighted hook-head, 13, for engaging the strong headedpin j of the opposite draw-head, as in Fig. 2, said hook h having also ashoulder, it, near pivot g, to be engaged by the hook arm or pawl Z,rising from the trip-lever m, which is pivoted at 7, preferably to theunder side of the draw-bar a, the drawhead I) being slotted suitably atb, Fig. 3,to move freely past the pivot a the short distance required totrip lever 102. Any suitable stud or pin, 0, fixed in draw-head b, actsagainst lever m to trip it from shoulder k, when the draw-head b is slidback on the draw-bar a, and permit the hook h to fall to engage the pinj of the opposing draw-head, which hook h may drop by its gravity alone;but I prefer to employ any suitable spring, p, secured at its oppositeends to the pivot eye or body of the hook and to the draw-head b. Thespring 9 not only serves to insure the more prompt coupling action ofthe hook when released from the trip-lever, but holds the coupled hookfirmly upon its pin j, to prevent noisy chattering of the coupling whenthe cars are moving, and will also hold the hook h against undueswinging action on its pivot i, when the coupling-hook hangs headdownward and free from pawl Z, to permit convenient coupling of carshaving the ordinary link-and-pin coupling ,to cars having my improvedcoupling, which may be done by entering the common link into the socketr, (dotted, which I provide in the drawhead I), and passing the commoncoupling-pin through the holes 8, made to receive it, and through thelink. 1

-To set my improved couplings for automatically coupling the cars, thehooks h are raised and the levers m swung to engage the hookshoulders7:, as in Fig. 1, and when the cars come together the draw-heads b willbe forced back, the lovers in will be tripped by studs 0, and the hooksh will instantly fall to engage the headed pins j of the oppositedraw-head, thus eiTecting a strong double coupling, whether the ears ortheir draw-heads are of like or unequal heights, as will readily beunderstood, the draft-strain being borne entirely by the pins (6 j andthe hooks h, leaving the trip-levers m unaii'ected thereby.

My improved coupling has few and simple parts, may be cheaply made, andhas a positive self-coupling action, making it unnecessary for train'mento pass between the cars when coupling them, and my coupling being oflike size with the ordinary link-and-pin draw-head, it may readily besubstituted therefor without alteration of the frame-work 01' the cars.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent- 1. A car-coupling constructed with a drawbar, a,sliding spring-pressed draw-head 0,

coupling hook and pin hj, and lever m, to be tripped by the slidingmovement of the drawhead, substantially as shown and described.

2. The draw-bar a, having reduced end Z) and slot 0, combined with thespring-pressed draw-head c, socketed over end I), and havingcheek-pieces c, carrying the draft-pin d, substantially as shown anddescribed.

3. The combination, with the draw-bar a, spring-pressed slidingdraw-head c, slotted at b, and the coupling-hook h, having shoulder k,of the lever m, pivoted beneath and to the draw-bar, and having pawl Z,for engaging the shoulder is of the hook h, substantially as shown anddescribed.

4:. The combination of draw-bar a b, socketed and slotted sliding head 00, pin (1, coupling-hook h i In, trip-lever m l, stud 0, coupling-pin j,spring 1), link-socket r, and pinhole 8, substantially as shown anddescribed.

MARCELLUS H. MERRILL.

\Vitnesses:

NELsoN lVEBs'rER, llIARVIN SACKETT.

